Joseph Benavidez Departs Team Alpha Male For Good

It appears No. 1 ranked UFC flyweight Joseph Benavidez (24-4) has followed in former bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw’s footsteps, and has parted ways with Team Alpha Male. In a recent interview with Stud Show Radio via Bloody Elbow, Alpha Male head coach Justin Buchholz confirmed the news, “He did leave the team. I mean, you train here

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It appears No. 1 ranked UFC flyweight Joseph Benavidez (24-4) has followed in former bantamweight champion TJ Dillashaw’s footsteps, and has parted ways with Team Alpha Male.

In a recent interview with Stud Show Radio via Bloody Elbow, Alpha Male head coach Justin Buchholz confirmed the news,

“He did leave the team. I mean, you train here in Sacramento, you’re part of Team Alpha Male, or you don’t live here,” Buchholz said.

“He hasn’t trained at all since I took over as head coach. I mean, I don’t know. I thought Joe would at least give a chance of me, and Danny, and Holdsworth running this new program along with Master Thong and Joey. But he never did. He came in town for one week, he moved his house, did, like, one boxing class.”

Joseph follows a similar blueprint as Dillashaw, who said his farewell to Sacramento to join Colorado’s Elevation Fight Team. Dillashaw left Team Alpha Male in October of last year for a lucrative contract in addition to be able to train with Ludwig for his title defense against the returning Dominick Cruz.

Dillashaw took a lot of heat from fellow teammates for leaving the camp, including his now-former friend and TAM founder Urijah Faber. Dillashaw would go on to lose his title bout via split decision following his first camp since leaving Alpha Male.

Buchholz holds no grudges however, and feels that Benavidez will reunite with his former teammate once again.

“I’m not upset at him for leaving because he didn’t leave under me as head coach,” he said. “I think he’s going to do some camps out there (Colorado).”

Benavidez is riding a five-fight win streak, including his recent unanimous decision win over Zach Makovsky in early February.

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TUF 23 video sneak peek at strawweight, light heavyweight cast ahead of FOX Sports 1 debut

The upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 23 will be coached by 115-pound champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk and No. 1 contender Claudia Gadelha, who lead a pool of strawweight and light heavyweight prospects. 32, to be exact, and they will…

The upcoming season of The Ultimate Fighter (TUF) 23 will be coached by 115-pound champion Joanna Jedrzejczyk and No. 1 contender Claudia Gadelha, who lead a pool of strawweight and light heavyweight prospects. 32, to be exact, and they will fight for one of 16 open slots in the premiere episode on Weds., April 20, 2016 at 10 p.m. ET on FOX Sports 1.

See the complete TUF 23 cast right here.

TUF 23 will run for 12 episodes and conclude with a live finale on Fri., July 8, 2016 inside MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada, headlined by Jedrzejczyk vs. Gadelha, as part of International Fight Week. Elsewhere on the card, James Krause and Ross Pearson collide in lightweight action.

Assuming we can make it until then.

“Joanna Jedrzejczyk and Claudia Gadelha, on the last day of filming when everything shut down, got into a full-blown fist fight,” UFC President Dana White said. “Head kicks, nasty fight in The Ultimate Fighter gym.”

I think I’ll be tuning in for this one.

See the latest TUF 23 Finale fight card and rumors here.

Eddie Bravo Invitational 6 athlete profile: Amir Allam

In the buildup to the Eddie Bravo Invitational 6’s open weight tournament, Bloody Elbow’s grappling editor Roy Billington will be providing athlete profiles for each of the competitors. Here, we look at Amir Allam. The illustrious Eddie Brav…

In the buildup to the Eddie Bravo Invitational 6’s open weight tournament, Bloody Elbow’s grappling editor Roy Billington will be providing athlete profiles for each of the competitors. Here, we look at Amir Allam.

The illustrious Eddie Bravo Invitational returns on April 24th, but this time it is different. Instead of EBI 6 airing solely on pay-per-view, the promotion has also signed a streaming deal with UFC Fight Pass in and is set to feature one of the greatest open weight submission-only tournaments ever. In the weeks leading up to the event, Bloody Elbow will be giving you the low down on the strengths and background of each competitor. Let’s kick off our latest edition with former Oklahoma wrestler Amir Allam.

Amir Allam

Lineage: Mitsuyo Maeda > Carlos Gracie Sr. > Carlos Gracie Junior > Jean Jacques Machado > Eddie Bravo > Amir Allam

Team: 10th Planet Jiu Jitsu

Weight: 265lbs

Amir Allam is the quintessential 10th Planet black belt, but with a twist.  While Allam is a master of the guard playing intricacies you would expect with a 10th Planet export, he also has a devastating top game that he can owe in part to an impressive high school and collegiate wrestling career. Allam is tough to submit – if you don’t believe me, just watch the video above of his match with Xande Ribeiro and you will be amazed. Allam may be one of the least recognizable names on the card, he is very dangerous and could prove to be an interesting outsider – if he can make it past his difficult first round match that is.

Amir Allam’s guard is pretty slick. From all the tape I have managed to get my hand on of Allam, one thing seems to be universal about his game: his reckless pursuit of the finish. Allam seems to hold the fundamental tenet of finishing fights dear and this could take him far in the tournament.

First round opponent: Rustam Chsiev

Rustam is a beastly wrestler, one that could well have had the ability to wrestle at a high level internationally had he not chosen to move to the USA. Chsiev’s  wrestling is at a higher level than Allam’s, but in a submission-only rules set it is really a toss up. This match could honestly go either way.

The Eddie Bravo Invitational 6 goes down at the Orpheum Theatre, in Los Angeles, CA on April 24 and will be available on pay-per-view on Dish and InDemand, as well as being live on UFC Fight Pass.

Five Reasons Ronda Rousey Should Not Return To The Octagon

When Ronda Rousey lost to Holly Holm via second-round knockout at UFC 193, the world nearly stopped. In order to right the ship, the mixed martial arts (MMA) universe is now calling for the queen’s return. After all, she’s the biggest pioneer in women’s MMA history and easily one of the most popular fighters the

The post Five Reasons Ronda Rousey Should Not Return To The Octagon appeared first on LowKick MMA.

When Ronda Rousey lost to Holly Holm via second-round knockout at UFC 193, the world nearly stopped.

In order to right the ship, the mixed martial arts (MMA) universe is now calling for the queen’s return. After all, she’s the biggest pioneer in women’s MMA history and easily one of the most popular fighters the UFC has ever had.

But Rousey is more than just a cage combatant. She’s a model, actress, entrepreneur, ambassador, and social savant. She has built a brand around perfection, yet still maintains her international allure on the heels of her first, and only, professional loss.

At the age of 29, it seems as if a return for “Rowdy” is imminent. Several questions are justifiably present if she’s still hungry and still motivated, but there’s no doubt she still owns one of the best ground games in the UFC women’s bantamweight division.

But just because the recipe is there doesn’t mean the cake is going to come out golden brown. Rousey may have everything needed to forge a momentous comeback, but maybe there are more important things to fall back on to escape a life of brutality and overwhelming sacrifice.

And with the former champion who was never out of the spotlight now gone into hiding, you have to wonder if she really wants to come back. If she doesn’t, obviously there’s no reason to risk further physical and mental damage.

Let’s take a closer look at five reasons why Rousey should never step back in the Octagon.

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The Ultimate Fighter: Team Joanna Vs. Team Claudia Debuts Wednesday On FS1

The first episode of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Joanna vs. Team Claudia is set for Wednesday night on FOX Sports 1.

Strawweights and light heavyweights will compete to become the next Ultimate Fighter.

Check out a special preview for the first ep…

the-ultimate-fighter-23

The first episode of The Ultimate Fighter: Team Joanna vs. Team Claudia is set for Wednesday night on FOX Sports 1.

Strawweights and light heavyweights will compete to become the next Ultimate Fighter.

Check out a special preview for the first episode and the season in the video below:

UFC 199: Clay Guida vs Brian Ortega official for June 4 in Los Angeles

Longtime Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) veteran Clay Guida will make his return to the Octagon in a featherweight tussle opposite Brian Ortega at the upcoming UFC 199 pay-per-view (PPV) event, locked and loaded for Sat., June 4, 2016 i…

Longtime Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) veteran Clay Guida will make his return to the Octagon in a featherweight tussle opposite Brian Ortega at the upcoming UFC 199 pay-per-view (PPV) event, locked and loaded for Sat., June 4, 2016 inside The Forum in Los Angeles, California.

UFC announced the 145-pound showdown on Thursday.

Guida (32-16) has not won back-to-back fights since upsetting Anthony Pettis way back in 2011. “The Carpenter” was last seen succumbing to a second-round submission at the hands of Thiago Tavares in Brazil.

Ortega (10-0), on the other hand, scored a technical knockout victory over the aforementioned Tavares last June, then followed that up with a submission win over Diego Brandao at UFC 195.

Old school vs. new.

UFC 199 will feature a five-round middleweight championship main event as Chris Weidman tries to win his title back against Luke Rockhold, who stripped it from the “All American” at UFC 194. In the UFC 199 co-main event, Dominick Cruz and Urijah Faber finally settle their longstanding rubber match.

For the latest and greatest UFC 199 fight card and rumors click here.